The Abilene reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1883-1888, 1887-11-24
NOTHING BUT A GAL. "
What She and Her Three Sisters
Accomplished.

Jacob Fuller could never look st his four
girls without feeling a keen sense of wrong
because they were not boys. His wife had
been reproached for the sex of her family
so many times that she, too, had come to
feel there was some thing wrong about it,
and had deprecating way of looking at
and speaking of her daughters, as if she
felt that an apology was needed.
The girls themse elves had been reproached
for their womanhood until, as Thyrza. the
oldest, said, they "didn't mind it much"
Still, sometimes the injustice ranked,
when trifiing favors were refused with
reminder of the expense they were to their
father. They were good-looking, healthy,
strong-minded young women, ranging in
age from seventeen to twenty-one.
"Yes, the gals look well enough" their
father said one day, in response to a COM
pliment upon his handsome daughters
al don't deny that; but it does take an aw-
full sight of caliker."
Jacob was well of, ''quite forehanded,n
the neighbors said, but he had a mania for
buying land, and was usually encountered
with debt for some of his additions to his
farm, so that ready money was ALWAYS
scarce with him. At the time our story
opens, he had just saddled himself with a
fresh debt Of this kind. His wife had ven
tured to demonstrate, thing she rarely did.
He had married late in life nor was his
wife young. She had had little money Of
her own, about a thousand dollars. which
he had promptly appropriated to ''pay off,
his sister, who for years had been his
housekeeper, and whose unexpected mar
rage had led to his own. From that day
his wife had never had q cent to spend as
she pleased. Not that he meant to be hard
with her. But she was only woman, and
the lives OF women on New England farms
q degeneration ago were, and in too many
cases are, even now, bitter bondage, by
the side Of which even African slavery had
some redeeming features.
Mrs. Fuller seldom ventured to oppose her
husband, but on this occasion she sum-
moned courage to beg him to buy no more
land.
1--WE are getting old, jacob" she said:
<.you're in your sixty fifth year, an Pm Ions
past fifty. I've been kept close and skimped
to pay of land debts ever since was mar
ried. Why can'twe take it easv the rest of
our livesi Let the girls have a chance to
go about a little, an take the good of orr
money ourselves. l never have a dollar
that gan call my own, though you know
knows, work hard enough"
"What do you want money fori' snarled
her husband. Don't you have your kecpl
Enough sight more than you could earn.
And guess can manage my own business
without any instructions from a woman
Then he strobe wrathfully from the room.
and, in order to show Mrs. Fuller that he
would do as he pleased, before night he had
brought not only the coveted piece of lined.
DER" but also tract Of ''psstur landn ad
joining, and had incurred debt of g. 600.
secured by a mortgage on the farm.
He felt a little frightened as he realized
what he had done, and all that winter. for
the first time in many years, he ibid the
chores" himself, without help. In the
early part Of March he quite exhausted his
supply of cash on hand in buying some cows
at sale OF fancy stock. The new pasture
must be used, he reasoned. Then followed
further attempt at economy, in making
his maple sugar without assistance. and
this resulted in his taking cold, and the
first of April found him laid I'D with in
f1ammatory rheumatism.
The much-despised girls, with the aid of
o boy Of sixteen, the son of a neighbor
finished the sugar-making successfully.
and looked after matters at the barn. while
their father fumed and fretted under the
enforced Imprisonment. One day, when
left to himself. he tried to walk across the
room, and failing, fell heavily to the floor,
breaking the bones OF his left leg in the
fall. Fever set in and in day or two more
DR.. Gerrish told them grimly that their
father was Elm for it" and they need not
expect him to do any work on the farm
that summer.
"What shall we dol" asked Mrs. Fuller.
81 don't know, unless you get some one
20 take the farm on shares" returned the
doctor.
THAT will never do,n said Thyrza, ener-
getically. Fathers got his plans all made
and it Will make trouble and loss to change
now"